St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-01-14
WISCONSIN,.
Little Done Besides Listening 10
Gov. Rusk's Message.


Special to the Globe.
MADISON, Wis, JAM 13. - The two
houses Of the legislature convened this
morning and after the reading of the gov
ernor's message and transacting small
amount of business. adjourned until Mon
day evening. Little of special interest was
done. Mr.. Cooper. of Racine, introduced
resolutions to amend the state constitution
so as to prohibit the leasing of prison con-
tract labor. This is one of the measures
which the labor element will make strong
effort to get through, Almost all the mem
bers have left for their respective homes
and tonight the capitol and hotels present
a dull appearance as compared with the past
few days The time between this and
Monday will be spent by most of the mem
bers in preparing bills, ETC., great flood of
which may be expected to be poured opto
the legislature next week.
THE MESSAGE.
MADISON, Wis, Jan. 13.-The biennial
message of Gov. Rusk was presented to the
legislature. which met at noon to-day.
After reviewing the material progress made
in the state during the year, he says:
While thus congratulating you upon our
material progress. it is with deep re:slr II that
l am compelled to report that during the past
stances been interrupted by strikes and riots,
OF greater magnitude, of more violence, and
further reaching in their consequences than
ever before. In this connection you are re-
minded that it will be your duty as legisla-
tors to look carefully into the causes of these
troubles, and wherein our laws for the pre-
venting of wrong doing or the punishment of
wrong doerS are found to be defective, it will
be your duty to perfect them by such new
legislation as recent experience and reason
able anticipationS for the future NAV Indicate
to be required.
Further on the governor says: ssAn
overwhelming majority of the whole people
are not directly
PARTIES TO THE CONTROVERSY
at all" He declared that it was conten-
tion between employees and employers and
1t was the right and duty to step i'll and say
not only ''let us have peace.nbut I'VE will
have peace" Gov. Rtfsk said the govern
ment could not be Indifferent to the welfare
of any class of citizens, and it was a special
duty to protect the poor and weak against
any possible aggreSsionS of the rich and
strong, and this especially applied to cor
porations created by the authority of the
state. In conclusion Gov. Rusk says con-
corning the labor question:
With these agrarian and socialistic theories
Of fanciful society that deny the right OF
private property, or of each individual to full
protection in the enjoyment aud control of
all mis- lawful earnings, whether obtained by
his own labor or by contract, we can have no
sympathy. They as un-American as
monarchy and as treasonable as secession.
They contemplate the destruction of both
justice and liberty, and would accomplish the
destruction of both if their application to
existing society were seriously attempted.
We are not prepared as American citizens to
even consider change IN our form eff GOV
ernment. Republican institutions and indi-
vidual liberty go hand in hand, and must and
will be Loyalty maintained.